A man has been sentenced to prison for attempting to smuggle fentanyl pills into the United States earlier this year.
On Sept. 27, Carlos Obed Moreno, 32, a U.S. citizen residing in Mexico, was sentenced to 40 months in prison for attempting to smuggle pills into the United States in exchange for payment, a news release from U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Arizona said. Moreno had previously plead guilty to importation of fentanyl into the United States.
On Jan. 6, a Customs and Border Protection officer noticed a knife in Moreno’s waistband while he was at the De Concini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, and conducted a pat-down for officer safety, the news release said. During the pat-down, the officer noticed packages stuffed in Moreno’s boots.
It was revealed that the packages contained 628 grams of blue fentanyl pills.
Jamie Donnelly covers breaking news for the Arizona Daily Star. Contact her via e-mail at jdonnelly@tucson.com